Kauai History and Surfing
Ancient Hawaiian people did not consider surfing a mere recreational activity, but rather they integrated surfing into their culture and made it an art. They referred to this art as heʻe nalu or wave sliding. The art began before entering the mysterious ocean as the Hawaiians prayed to the gods for protection and strength to undertake the powerful mystifying ocean. The technique of sliding on a wave was popular with men and women of all ages in early Hawaii. Then (same as now) surfers found it hard to resist dropping everything when the waves called. Their excitement peaked in the winter months when big surf came to the Islands and they even had an appropriate word that referred to a state of being stoked, or emotionally excited about something – hopupu.
Early Hawaiians used four main types of boards:
paipo or kioe – 2 to 4 feet (for children)
alaia or omo – 8 to 10 feet
kiko`o – 12 to 18 feet
olo – 18 to 24 feet (for royalty)
Surfboards used by ancient Hawaiians measured five inches thick, and weighed up to 160 pounds. The most common wood used was koa or wiliwili which was particularly buoyant. The extremely long olo was thick in the middle, thinner towards its edges, buoyant, and good for catching large rounded swells. The olo board allowed the rider to catch a cresting wave before it actually broke and the ride could continue long after the wave flattened out. Though these boards couldn’t turn quickly and required stamina and strength to paddle out, the very long rides they afforded are why they may have been reserved for ali`i. Alaia boards were approximately eight feet long, wide at the nose and tapered toward the stern. Alaia were good for skilled surfers riding rough waves. More maneuverable than olo, they were better for steep, fast-breaking surf and wave conditions along rugged coasts. When the surf was up, they would ride the waves on anything handy, even banana trunks. Hawaiians surfed in canoes as well as on boards, using twenty foot long single canoes with an oversized, heavy paddle for steering.
Kauai History and Games
Hawaiians had ample leisure time living in a landscape and climate that supplied abundant food and materials without excessive labor. They invented games and contests to entertain both players and spectators, and became great sportsmen. Hawaiian athletes were especially skilled in water sports like surfing, swimming, and canoe racing. There was lele kawa (plunging with the least amount of splash), lele pahu (plunging with the greatest splash), aho loa (holding breath), and kaupua (diving for an object). There was kaha nalu (body surfing), paka wa`a (canoe surfing) and he`e nalu (board surfing) which they developed to a higher degree than anywhere else in the Pacific.
An important function of ancient games was to train warriors. Games that built strength, stamina, and agility with weapons such as spears and darts developed skills that were basic to the battlefield where hand-to-hand combat prevailed. Hawaiians played a number of games that showcased physical dexterity or sheer muscle power like lifting bolders, wrestling, boxing, foot races, and tug of war. They also competed in many ways using a wooden spear or javelin, including kaka la`au (fencing), `o`o ihe (throwing) and ihe pahe`e (sliding over a grassy course).
Simple children’s games were hei (cat’s cradle), pala `ie (loop and ball), pahipahi (slapping hands together), hu (spinning tops) and kimo (jacks). Guessing games included no`a (finding a pebble under a pile of sand or piece of kapa) and puhenehene (finding a pebble on a person). There were word games, riddles, and board games like konane, similar to checkers.
Kauai History and Luau Celebration
Today’s luaus are still a celebration of life. A time to share traditional foods, enjoy songs and dances of early Hawaii, and to give thanks to family and friends. Commercial luaus are performed at many venues around the island with Hawaiian music of the ukelele, fire dancers, and Hawaiian hula dancers moving with the style and grace of the ancients to the sound of drums and chants. And of course, there is plenty of food. These luaus generally begin at dusk beneath the stars and swaying palms, and include flower or shell lei greetings, mai tais, traditional poi dishes, Kalua Pork, and they also provide eating utensils for the poi.
When Captain Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1779, the Hawaiian people had been dancing hula for centuries. Hula was danced more by men than women as part of their religion. The men and women did not wear grass skirts, the women wore skirts made of kapa cloth, or the men wore a malo (loincloth). Later, when the missionaries arrived in the 1830’s, they were shocked by the open dancing, and it was outlawed. King David Kalakaua is credited with the rebirth of this traditional art form when, in the 1870’s, he encouraged hula practitioners to resume the custom. In this favorable era, hula practitioners merged Hawaiian elements of poetry, chanting, dance movements, and costumes to create a new form, the hula ku’i (ku’i means ‘to combine old and new’). The Hawaiians have been dancing hula ever since.
In the end, luau means feast, and celebration, and nourishment, and life, and music, and dance, and love. It is the true experience of ‘aloha’.
Kauai History and Luau Tradition
The traditional luau feast was eaten on the ground. Lauhala mats were rolled out and a beautiful centerpiece of ti leaves, ferns, and native flowers was laid the length of the mat. Bowls filled with poi, platters of meat were set out, and dry foods like sweet potatoes, dried fish or meat covered in leaves were laid directly on the ti leaves. Utensils were never used at a luau, instead everything was eaten with the fingers. Poi of various consistencies was referred to by the number of fingers needed to eat it… three finger, two finger, or the thickest, one finger poi.
Royal luaus tended to be elaborate. One of the largest ever was hosted by Kamehameha III in 1847. The list of foods prepared included 271 hogs, 482 large calabashes of poi, 3,125 salted fish, 1,820 fresh fish, 2,245 coconuts, 4,000 taro plants and numerous other delicacies. The Hawaiians cooked using an underground oven called an ‘imu’. They would begin by digging a shallow pit and line it with sand and mats. A fire was started and lava rocks were added. When the rocks became red hot, they were arranged in the bottom of the imu, and several rocks placed inside the body cavity of the pig. A layering of banana stalks, pig, damp banana leaves, and damp mats were then sealed with several inches of sand. The steam from the rocks, mats, stalks and leaves would slow cook the meat for the entire day of the feast, producing mouth-watering morsels of cooked pork.
Kauai History and Luau Beginnings
The meaning of luau is not luau.
The word ‘aha’aina, which translates ‘gathering for a meal’ is where we begin. For ancient Hawaiians, food was quite precious, and gathering for a meal to share their bounty with friends, family, or an entire village was a sign of good will to one another. ‘Aha’aina was the way the Hawaiians chose to celebrate or pay tribute. People came together to celebrate momentous occasions such as victory in war, completion of a canoe, a successful harvest, the birth of a child, or other personal milestones. ‘Aha’aina kahukahu was a feast honoring a craftsman at the completion of their first work. ‘Aha’aina ho’okipa honored ‘ohana (family) returning home after a long absence. The rituals and foods of the early ‘aha‘aina were extremely symbolic to ancient Hawaiians, and the event was meant as a way to unite those who participated in it. Each food eaten at the celebration had a meaning. Some foods represented strength or courage, while others were indicative of other goals, virtues, or aspirations that participants were seeking to obtain.
In ancient Hawaii, men prepared the food and ate their meals apart from women. Commoners and women of all ranks were also forbidden to eat certain delicacies. Pork, bananas, coconuts, and certain fish were among the foods that were kapu (forbidden) to women. King Kamehameha II abolished these laws and many others in the year 1819. He validated this change in tradition by having a symbolic feast where men and women were not only able to eat together, but to share the same food. At this feast one of the main dishes involved wrapping chicken in the young leaves of the taro plant and baking it in coconut milk. This dish was called ‘Luau’ and as a result of its being one of the main courses, the feasts themselves came to be called ‘Luaus’.
Kauai History and Poi
The Hawaiian word for health, as well as the word for life, is ola, as it was their belief that health and life were one and same. Ancient Hawaiians were strong farmers, fishermen, hunters, and gatherers who relied upon a diversity of foods to keep them physically, mentally, and spiritually fit. They cultivated crops, hunted birds and pigs, gathered vines and ferns, practiced net and deep sea fishing, collected shrimp, shellfish, and seaweed. And with taro being one of the most nutritious carbohydrates known, the traditional Hawaiian diet may have been one of the best in the world. It was a simple, high starch, high fiber, low saturated fat, low sodium, and low cholesterol diet.
Taro was the backbone of the ancient diet and they ate it in several forms, but the most common way was as poi. As with all food preparation, men did the pounding. Sitting on the ground at one end of a pounding board, the pounder began with a pile of cooked taro and a bowl of water. Handfuls of water kept the board and stone pounder moist as taro was added to the board and pounded into a paste. If the paste (pa`i `ai) was to be stored or transported, it was made with very little water. When it was time to eat the pa`i `ai, a small quantity was mixed up into poi. Poi was then served in bowls and eaten with one or two fingers.
Poi was also made from breadfruit, sweet potato, or banana. Hawaiians also cooked a variety of foods in a pudding form made with coconut cream and shredded coconut meat. Adding different proportions of coconut to sweet potato or breadfruit, wrapping in ti leaves and cooking in an imu, produced firm, sweet, nutritious foods. After cooking, it was cooled and cut into slices that were then dried in the sun. Poi had great significance in the Hawaiian culture, and there was a great reverence for the presence of poi at the table. It was unforgivable to have a quarrel, argue, or haggle when poi was on the table.
